Railway-crossing gate



Apr. 3, 1923.

A. D. GOODWIN RAILWAY CROSSING GATE .Eiled May 5,

5 sheets-sheen 1' Apr. 3, 1923.

A. D. GOODWIN RAILWAY CROSSING GATE Filed May 3, 1922 5 sheets-sheen 2 Apr. 3, 1923.

Filed May 5, 1922' A'. D: GOODWIN RAILWAY CROSSING GATE 5 sheets-sheet, 3

awe/WM Patented Apr. 3, 1923.

N IT E STATS ,sazss ADOLPHUS D. GOODWIN, OF EAST DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF THIRTY PER CENT TO DOCK W. BROWN, OF EAST DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, AND THIRTY PER CENT TO DELOS W. SORRELL, 0F DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING GATE.

Application filed May 3, 1922. Serial No. 558,079.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, AooLPHUs D. GoonwIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Durham, in the county of Durham and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Crossing Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to railway gates, and particularly to gates at crossings which are automatically actuated upon the arrival of av train in proximity to the crossing.

The general object of this invention is to provide railroad gates disposed at a crossing and on each side of the railroad track,which are so mounted that the gates will be lifted.

vertically upward when a train approaches the crossing from either direction but which gates, when they are lowered, will form part of the crossing itself and part of the roadway over which vehicles moving across the railroad track will run.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of this character including means for holding the gates raised during the time that a train stays upon the crossing or in immediate proximity thereto.

Still another object is to provide means whereby a signal may be sounded sufliciently prior to the raising of the gates as to permit vehicles to stop without attempting to cross.

Another object is to provide a construction of this character which, if a vehicle should be in the act of crossing when a train strikes the gate operating mechanism, will permit the vehicle to cross without the gate being lifted until after the vehicle has passed over the gate.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction and arrangement of partsas will appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of a railroad crossing having my device applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an elevation of a rail and one of the gate actuating ramps;

Figure 5 is a section 'on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; i

' igure 6 is an elevation of one of the lock actuating ramps; 4

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure 6 Figure 8 is an elevation of the audible signal disposed at the crossing;

Figure 9 is a cross section of the rails showing the operating treadles;

Figure 10 is a. section on the line 1010 of Figure 9. l

Referring to the drawings, a designates the rails of a track A and B the crossing generally. The space between the rails aat the crossing and on each side of the rails will be planked, as at 10, approximately flush with the rails. rails at the crossing there are disposed the three housing walls 11, 12 and 13 which are permanently mounted and constitute guides within which the gates move. There are two pairs of these gates, one pair being disposed on' each side of the crossing. One of the gates of each pair is raised when atrain approachesin one direction and the other pair of gates is raised when a train approaches in the opposite direction. Each gate consistsof a longitudinal beam 14 with a horizontally disposed web 15 attached thereto and constituting a tread face, the edges of the web being rounded. It will be understood that these parts 14 and 15 may be metallic or made of wood and that they might be in the form of beams T-shaped in cross section. When these gates are lowered, the web 15 rests upon theside walls 11 or 12 or 12 or 13.

Each gate is mounted upon arms 16 and 17. The arms 16 and 17 are pivoted at 18 to any suitable pivot extending through the On each' side of the housing for the gates. The arm17, is prolever, and attached to this angular extension 19 is the gate operating rod 20. This extends longitudinally of the track and operates preferably on roller supports 21 such as are used for supporting the rods of signal operating systems and switch operating ,members. Preferably the rods 20 will be formed in sections connected by turn buckles 22 so as to permit the adjustment ofthe rods and thereby permit the adjustment of the gates. Also preferably there will be a resilient section 23 disposed in the length of the rod which will be formed of a relatively heavy coiled spring or equivalent member for a purpose 7 Stops 24 are attached to the side walls'lI, 12 and'13 of the gate housing for the purpose of limiting the downward and upward movement of the gate arms.

The extremity of each rod20 is'attached to a transversely extending rock shaft 25 which is mounted at a suitable distance from the crossing. This rock shaft is mounted in bearings 26 and at opposite ends provided with crank arms 27 which connect with the gate operating rods 20. Intermediate the gates the-rock shaft is formed with a crank 28 which is disposed immediately adjacent one of the rails a of the track A, and resting upon this cranked portion 28 is an operating ramp 29 consisting -of a longitudinally extending, upwardly to he of sufiicient length so that one wheel bowed rail which at one end, as at 30, is pivoted to the rail a or to any other suitable support. The opposite end. of this operating rail 29 or ramp is free to move vertically within an angular iron 31 attached to one of theties of the track. A spring 32 tends to urge-the ramp 29 upward, and guides 33 are attached to the ties at intervals and are spaced from the rail so that the ramp 29 is guided vertically between these ties and the rail and is held in close proximity to the rail. Normally the spring 32 urges the ramp upward so that the middle portion of the ramp is disposed above the level of the rail a.

As the carer train approaches, the front wheel of the train strikes this ramp 29 and presses downward. pressing downward upon the crank 28, oscillating the rock shaft 25, and exerting a pull upon the rod 20, which pull, through the bell crank levers 19 and 17, causes the corresponding gates on both sides of the crossing to rise. It will be understood that there are two of these gate operating rock shafts 25 disposed on either side of the crossing and that these gate operating shafts areto be disposed a sutlici ent distance from the crossing so that there will be a sufiicient time for the proper lifting of the gates before the train arrives at'thi: crossing proper. The rails or ramps 29 are will always be upon the ramp, thus keeping which will be later stated.v

the gate raised while the train is approaching the crossing and until the train is actually on the crossing.

In order to hold the gates raised after the train has passed the ramp or operating rail 29, I provide locking devices located at intervals along the track, which are adapted to grip the rod 20 and hold the rod from reverse longitudinal movement, these devices also .acting to hold the gates in their raised position until after the train has passed. I have illustrated in Figure 6 one of these rail gripping devices, but it will be understood that they may be placed along the track, if necessary, one for each rail and as many as desired to be used to grip the rods 20 and hold the corresponding gates in their raised position. Each of these gate locking devices comprises a vertically movable rail or ramp 34 which is disposed along the side of the rail a and is mounted for vertical movement in guides 33. This ramp or rail 34 rests upon the extremities of laterally extending levers 35 pivoted upon supports 36. the outer ends of these levers being disposed beneath a plate or equivalent element 37 which is held from any vertical movement. This plate preferably extends over both of the levers 35 and is supported at its inner end upon the lugs or dogs which support the pivot 36 for the levers and at its outer end is supported by means of brackets 38 attached to the ties. Any suitable means may be provided for holding this plate 37 against movement. The rod 20 passes between this plate 37 and the lever 35 and when the ramp or rail 34 is disposed by a car wheel, the outer end of the pair of levers connect-ed to the rail will be raised and the rod 20 will be gripped between the outer ends of these levers and the plate 37 and thus the rod be held from longitudinal movement, which would permit the depression of the raised gates. These devices would act in the case of an engine moving on the tracks by itself, as the ramps of these gripping devices are disposed relatively closely adjacent each other a distance from each other less than the distance between the wheels so that when there is a. single engine on the rails a. or when there is a train,

'these gripping devices will be actuated immediately after the actuation of the gate raising devices and will hold the rods 20 and hold the gates in raised position until after the train has passed the crossing.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact positioning of these gripping members or like members, or to the number of these locking mechanisms.

For the purpose of sounding the signal prior to the closing ofthe gates automatically by the train, I provide a signal bell 39. which is mounted upon a support 40, this bell being provided with the clapper actuating stud 41. Mounted upon thesupport 40 in front of the clapper actuating stud 41 IS a bell crank lever 42 constituting a clapper.

This lever is connected by a vertical rod 43 to one arm 44 of a double bell crank lever 45 having vertically extending arms. ()ne of these arms is connected to a cable 46 which extends in one direction down the track and the other arni is connected to a like cable 46 extending in the other direction up the track. Each of these cables 46 is connected to an angular arm 47 forming practically a bell crank lever with the shaft- 48 and an arm 49 which extends radially therefrom and supports a treadle 50 Whichis disposed closely adjacent to the rail a. The slack is pulled out of the cables by means of a spring 51 which engages the levers 45 of the bell crank.

It will be obvious now that as a train approaches the crossing, the wheels of the several cars will intermittently depress the treadle 50 and then will cause the plunger 42 to strike the stud 41 and sound the bell 39 intermittently until all the cars of the train have passed over the treadle 50. This treadle 50 will be disposed sufiiciently in advance of the ramp 29 that a full warning will be given to vehicles contemplating crossing the tracks that a train is coming so that the vehicles will not attempt to cross the tracks and be caught between the uprising gates. If a vehicle has any of its wheels upon the gate, the gate will not rise for the reason that the springs inthe length of the rods 20 will yield and permit the automobile or other vehicles to pass over the gates, even though the gate actuating mechanism be depressed by the wheels of the train.

Vhile I have illustrated details of construction which I believe to be particularly effective for the purpose intended. it will be obvious that I have illustrated merely one embodiment of my invention and that the principle of the invention might be embodied in many other forms without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim 1. In a railway crossing, housings disposed on each side of the crossing below thesurface thereof and having their upper ends open to the surface of the crossing, a pair of gates disposed in each housing and vertically movable out of or into the housing, means actuated by the approach of a train in either direction for lifting said gates, and means holding said gates lifted while the train is approaching the crossing and until it has passed the crossing.

2. In a railroad crossing, housings disposed on each side of the crossing. a pair of gates disposed in each' housing and vertically movable out of. or into the housing, each of said gates atits upper end having a member constituting part of the surface of the crossgates maybe held raised ing and covering said housing, train actuated means disposed in one, direct on along the track from the crossing wherebyone pair of gates may be raised uponhthe approach of a train, means disposed along the tracks in the opposite direction wherebythe other pair of gates may be raised upon the approach of a train, and train actuated means disposed at intervals along the tracks whereby the while the train is approaching the crossing.

3. In a railway crossing, posed on each side of the crossing, each housing consisting of lateral walls and a middle wall, a pair of gates disposed in each of said'housings and between said walls, each-of said gates having a flanged upper portion constituting part of the surface of the crossing, levers mounted in said housings and to the ends of which the gates are attached whereby the gates may be raised and lowered, rock sha"fts mounted along the track in opposite directions from the crossing, rods connecting said crank shafts to the levers, and ramps pivoted to housings disthe rails of the track and adapted to be 4. In a railway crossing, housings disposed on each side of the track and at the crossing, each housing consisting of lateral walls and a middle wall, a pair of gates disposed in each ofsaid housings and between said walls, each of said gates having a flanged upper portion constituting part of the surface of the crossing, levers mounted in said housings and to the ends of which the gates are attached whereby the gates may be raised and lowered, rock shafts mounted along the track in opposite directions from the crossing, rods connecting said crank shafts to the levers, and ramps pivoted to the rails of the track andvadapted to be depressed by the wheels of a train and operatively connected to said rock shaft, said rods extending between the rock shafts and the gate operating levers having therein an expansible section whereby to permit the gates to be held lowered by pressure thereon even though the actuating means be operated.

5.In a railway crossing, posed on each side of crossing, each housing consisting of lateral walls. and a middle wall,a pair of gates disposed in each of said housings and between said walls, eachof said gateshaving a flanged, upper portion constit-uting part of the surface of the crossing. levers mounted in said housings and to the ends of which the gates are attached whereby the gates may be raised and lowered, rock shafts housings dislevers, ramps pivoted to the track and at thetrack and at the the rails of the track and adapted to be dethe plate and said levers, and a depressi-ble pressed by the-wheels of a train and operaramp connected to the outer ends of each 10 tively connected to said rock shaft, means pair of levers and disposed along the track for holding said gates in their raised posiand arching slightly above the track and 5 tions. including a member extending over adapted to be depressed by a train wheel.

each of said rods. clamping levers disposed In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my beneath said member and adapted when signature. raisedto clamp the operating rod between ADOLPHUS D. GOODVVIN. 

